Railway car side door



May 13, 1952 K. F. NYSTROM {RAILWAY CAR SIDE DOOR 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 13, 1948 INVENTOR. ail/"Z [1199270772,

May 13, 1952 K. F. NYSTROM RAILWAY CAR. SIDE DOOR 4 Shets-Sheet 2 Filed March 15, 1948 INVENTOR. z/azmm, i V

K. F. NYSTROM RAILWAY CAR SIDE DOOR May 13, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed March 13, 1948 INVENTOR. IZZzrZ [@55077 y 9 K. F. NYSTROM I 2,596,913

RAILWAY CARY SIDE DOOR Filed March 15, 1948 V 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 zzvmvrox. ffarl [49500772,

Patented May 13, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT, OFFICE RAILWAY OAR SIDE DOOR Karl F. Nystrom, Nashotah, Wis.

Application March 13, 1948, Serial No. 14,777

3 Claims.

boards, the nailing of the boards in place-im- "pairing the car interior-and the time and labor required in caulking the boards.

Another object of the invention is the provision of 'means whereby theopening and closing of the side doors will be greatly facilitated; the means enabling the door to be more readily opened against the grain or load pressure against the inner side of the door; said means involving elements, in addition to the conventional fulcrum lever provided on most doors, for door operation under varying conditions that may be encountered in transportation as for example where a mechanical door puller is not available.

A further object of the invention is the provision .of a sliding main side door provided with an auxiliary door, particularly in the upper part of the sliding door, for receiving the usual grain S9 spoutsin loading the car while the main door is in closed position; the auxiliary door being so arranged and secured on the inner side of the main door to act, when in open position, as a platform for inspectors during inspection of the grain, or other commodity, within the car.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a new type of construction whereby more efiective seals are provided both at the bottoms and at the tops of the doors which also pre-;

.box car and the upper part of my improved door with the auxiliary loading and inspecting door shownin open position.

Figure 3 is a detail perspective viewon'an enlarged scale adjacent the bottom of the door and its mounting with a portion of the door operating mechanism; the view being taken substantially on the line 33 of Figure 1; looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view through the door and its upper and lower mountings with an intermediate portion of the door broken away and showing the door in closed position. v

Figure 5 is a similar view showing the door and associated elements in open and non-sealillg position. 7

Figure 6 is a side elevation of the lower portion of the door in closed position.

Figure '7 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially on the line 'i-'! of Figure 6, on a somewhat larger scale and an intermediate vertical portion of the door broken away.

In the particular exemplification my invention is shown applied to a conventional type of box car provided with the side plate lS, side sill I6 and side door opening of conventional size as defined by the vertical door posts [1 and i8 at the front and rear ends of the door opening. The door openin is provided with acontinuous auxiliary side sill I9 (which extends outwardly somewhat beyond the normal vertical plane of the car side) extending throughout the door opening with the inner longitudinal marginal portion bent downwardly and inwardly to provide a floor 20 supporting ledge as shown at 2| in Figures 3 and 4; the auxiliary sill I9 preferably is welded on the side sill l6 and has its outer marginal portion (which extends outwardly beyond the side sill) bent downwardly and inwardly toward the side sill, as shown at 22, see Figures 3, 4 and 5, but terminating a predetermined distance from the side sill l6.

Intimately secured to the outer vertical face of the side sill [6 (preferably by welding) is a door track member 23, which extends throughout and beyond the rear end of the door opening; the track member being of channel formation in cross section with the lower leg or side of the channel extending outwardly from the side sill while the upper longitudinal marginal portion is bent downwardly into inverted U- shape formation as shown at 23 and preferably welded to the auxiliary sill l9 and provides support for the overhang of the auxiliary sill l9.

The lower part of the door (shown at 24) and throughout its length is provided with a continuous bottom plate or member 25 intimately securedto the metallic door sheets (which preferably are provided with conventional and longitudinally extending reenforcing corrugations as at 24*) with its upper portion disposed inwardly of the vertical plane of the outer curved portion of the auxiliary sill 19. The plate or member at a point coincident with the auxiliary sill is bowed or bent outwardly as at 25 and disposed downwardly and thence inwardly beneath the auxiliary sill toward the track member 23 with the free marginal portion of the member disposed into the inverted U-shape upper portion 23 of the track member 23.

The horizontal lower portion of the plate or member 25, adjacent the front and rear ends of the door, is provided with suitable vertically depending brackets or housings 26 which house vertically disposed rollers 21 arranged to ride on the horizontally disposed leg or portion of the track member 23. The track member 23 at prearranged points, for example adjacent the front. and the rear sides of the door opening, is provided with cut-outs or depressions as at 23 (see Figure 6) adaptedto receive the rollers 21 when-the door is in complete closed position; thedoor normally, when opened, being supported by the rollers. When the door is in closed position, the rollers 21 will drop into the track depressions or cut-outs, out of door supporting position. allowing the door to drop out of its raised non-sealing position, shown in Figure. 5, into a-lowered position where the bent portion 25* of door plate or member 25 will come into snug contact with the outer longitudinal portion of the auxiliary sill I9 and effect a substantially grain tight seal at the point indicated at 28 as shown in Figure-4.

As the upwardly disposed flange of the door plate or member 25 extends into theinverted U-shape portion 23*- of the track member it is apparent that the door bottom platev 25 also acts: as: adoor retainer and prevents outward movement of the bottom of the door and hence maintains therollers in track engaging position.

The-door opening at the top is provided with a header 29 of generalright angular formation with-the depending vertical leg or side at its lower'edge bent laterally outward into an upwardly opening" channel portion 30 to receive the outwardly disposed lower edge of the car sideplate. l and effect a sealing relation therewith, see Figures 4- and 5. The header 29 is formed with a, vertical side or leg extending parallel and flush with theside plate and this portionof the header'preferably is spot welded to the side plate, approximately on the neutral axis of the header to avoid distortion, as indicatedfor example'at 29%.Figures 4 and5.

A door hood 3| is'intimately secured or welded at its upper longitudinal edge of the side plate and extends throughout the length of the track. The hood3l beneath its pointof attachment to the side plate then slopes outwardly downward and terminates in a vertical portion whose lower marginal edgeis bentinwardlyand upwardly to provide an upwardly opening channel portion 3| spaced outwardly from the car side plate 15. The hood 3| preferably is reenforced at suitable intervals by gussets 32.

The top of the door 24', throughout its length, is provided with a plate ormember" 33 which is riveted-or otherwise intimately secured thereto to extend upwardly abovethe door where it is bent inwardly toward the side plate and upwardly intermediate the side plate and the channel portion of the hood 3!, with the'u'pper marginal to receive the front end of the door 24.

portion of the member 33 bent outwardly downward into hook-like formation at 33* to extend into the channel portion 3P of the door hood 31. With the construction just described a continuous engagement between the hood 3| and the door plate or member 33 is provided whether the door is in open or closed position; disengagement of the upper part of the door, regardless of its location, by reason of the interengaged overlapped relation of the hood and" door plate or member, will be prevented. When the door is in closed or lowered position (by reason of the rollers at the bottom of the door entering depressions-in the track member ,23) the inwardly bent portion of the door plate or member 33 effects a continuous sealing engagement with the side platev I5, as shown at 34 in Figure 4.

"the weight of the door is-off the rollers due to the'fact that the rollers have entered the: prearranged track depressions as heretofore described.

In order to provide effective weather seals between the ends of. the door and the posts at opposite ends of the door opening, I provide the front door post H with a stop member35 of somewhat ogee'orv 3' formation in cross-section and the rear door post 18 with a vertically disposed wedge strip 36, see Figure 7.

One leg or side of the s -shape stop member 35 is welded or otherwise intimately secured to front door post I? while the outer longitudinal margin of the member 35 is formed to provide a rearwardly facing channel and'stop-35 adapted The front end of the door throughout its vertical heighth is provided with the channelentering and abutting member 31,.ofi angle-bar cross-section, firmly secured on the outerside of the: door 24 at the front end thereof; the free longitudinal edge of the member 31 somewhat conforming with the interior of the channel portion 35* of the stop strip 35, so as to be overlapped or somewhat enclosed by the stop strip whenthe door 24 is'in closed position as shown in Figure 7. It-is apparent that outward pressure on the inner side of the door will be taken care of by the channel of the stopstrip 35 and hence a firm sealing relationmaintained.

The rear stopmember or bar 3%, which is rigidlyand snugly secured to the door post'- l8, hasa rearwardly disposed wedge providing head 35 with an inwardly sloping face adapted to'be engaged by an inwardly sloping bracket member or weather strip 38.- The free edge of weather strip 38-slopes inwardly toward the rear door post and-is-caused to slide on the head 3t. when the door is moved intoclosed position, causing the door 24 (at which time the rollers at the bottom of the door will be in the respective sockets or depressions in the door supporting track) to be drawn inwardly into very eifective grain-tight position.

The door end receiving channel'of the front stop member and the sloping wedge head and overlapping sealing member 38 at the rear end of the door not only provide stop means against outward pressure on the door but also provide effective weather seals at both ends of the'door The upper part of the side door 24 is provided with an auxiliary door 39 which is hingedly connected at its bottom to the main door 24 so as to open inwardly into a horizontal position, see Figure 2, and is supported by the pivotally connected bracket links 40. This auxiliary door serves as a means of entry for the grain spouts in loading the car and also provides a platform for inspectors while entering the car for purposes of inspecting the grain.

The auxiliary door 39 is so constructed and mounted that it will extend flush with the inside of main door 24 when in closed position and thus not interfere with the sliding movement of the main door; and in order to maintain and lock the auxiliary door 39 in firm closed position, the upper part of the auxiliary door is provided with a lever 4|, pivoted intermediate its ends so as to permit the upper end of thelever to move into overlapping relation with the upper part 24 of the main door. The auxiliary door, beneath the pivot point of lever 4|, is provided with an arcuate channel-like latch member 42 which preferably frictionally engages the lever so as to hold it against too free swinging movement; the member 42 also affords means for attaching a seal about the hand grasping portion of the lever when the auxiliary door is in fully closed position, as shown in Figure 1.

The bottom part of the door 24, at a suitable point intermediate its ends, is shown provided with a pivoted and vertically movable lever 43, of conventional form, provided with a reduced lower end, see Figures 1 and 3.

The width of the roller engage trackway 23 is increased so as to extend somewhat beyond the bottom of the door (see Figure 3) and is provided with a plurality of indentations or slots 44 arranged longitudinally of the trackway throughout the length and somewhat beyond the rear end of the door opening, see Figure 1. These slots are adapted to receive the reduced lower end of the fulcrum lever 43 so that oscillation of the lever will induce movement of the door. I also provide the bottom of the door adjacent the rear end roller housing with a laterally disposed fulcrum providing plate 45 (see Figure 1) whose outer longitudinal edge is provided with a suitable notch or cut-out for the purpose of receiving a conventional type pinch bar, as shown at 46 in Figure 1, inserting its lower end in the slots 44 and then moving the pinch bar back and forth to either open or close the door.

The rear end of the door preferably is provided with a hook member 41 (Figure 1) for attachment of a conventional type of mechanical door puller. However, in the event a mechanical door puller is not available, the door may be manually opened through the use of a pinch bar in conjunction with the fulcrum plate 45.

The structure shown and described is thought to be the best embodiment of the invention, but structural modifications are possible and may be made without, however, departing from the spirit of my invention as defined by the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a railway car provided with a side plate throughout its length, the lower marginal portion of the side plate being outwardly ofiset, a side door opening, a header plate for the door opening intimately secured to the car side plate with its lower marginal portion bent into channel form to receive the lower edge of the side plate, and a slidingly mounted door; a vertically disposed hood member intimately secured at its upper portion to the car side plate while its lower portion is bent outwardly downwardly and the lower marginal portion bent inwardly toward the car into channel form of U-shape cross-section; and a door top plate disposed upwardly and bent inwardly above the door and thence vertically into substantially parallel relation with the side plate with its upper marginal portion bent into inverted U-shape and extending into the channel of the hood member and preventing disengagement of the door, the inwardly bent portion of the door top plate being adapted to effect sealing relation with the offset portion of the car side plate when the door is in closed position.

2. In a railway car provided with a side plate outwardly offset adjacent its bottom edge and a slidingly mounted side door; a hood member intimately secured to the side plate above the offset portion of the latter, said hood member being bent downwardly outward and terminating on its inner side in an upwardly opening channel; and a door top member disposed upwardly above the door toward the offset of the side plate with its top provided with an inverted U- shape portion which extends into the channel of said hood member to prevent disengagement of the door while the inwardly bent portion of the door top member is arranged to effect and maintain sealing contact with the oifset lower portion of the side plate when the door is in closed position. A

3. In a railway car provided with a side plate having an outwardly presented offset shoulder and lower portion, and a slidingly mounted side door; a hood member secured to the upper portion of the side plate depending parallel with the side plate bent outwardly with its unattached lower end bent outwardly thence inwardly into an upwardly opening channel; and a door top plate extending throughout the width of the door and disposed thereabove and bent inwardly across the top of the door into vertical contact with the shouldered portion of the side plate to effect pressing sealing relation therewith when the door is in closed position, the upper part of the top member having a downwardly depending portion extending into said upwardly opening channel of the hood member to prevent disengagement of the door, and a header member of angular formation with its lower marginal portion of U-shape cross-section to receive the lower end of the side plate, the side plate and header member being intimately secured together.

- KARL F. NYSTROM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the Y file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,104,129 Nymon July 21, 1914 1,893,105 Raaen Jan. 3, 1933 1,967,819 Gilpin July 24, 1934 2,299,968 Dietrichson Oct. 27, 1942 2,340,014 Nystrom Jan. 25, 1944 2,372,394 Reese Mar. 27, 1945 2,397,335 Christiansen Mar. 26, 1946 

